|
|
|
Weekly Comment |
In
the Absence of Self-Restraint,
Audits are Warranted
Our nation
is moving into another phase of
history. The further away we are
living beyond Madiba’s release
date whose 20th anniversary was
marked recently, the faster new
challenges emerge. It is the
nature of growing up: inevitable
change.
The scorecard so
far indicates a mixed bag of
achievements, a chequered record
of delivery. By our own
evaluation, even policy-makers,
planners and the leadership do
admit that we could have done
better. The promise of a better
tomorrow has to be honoured in
one way or another.
Due
to a poor record of service
delivery, time and again, the
public has shown its
dissatisfaction in many ways
including violent protests. The
news of lavish lifestyles of our
leaders does not help matters.
For our leaders, the
assertion “we did not join the
struggle to be poor” cannot be
valid if power is sought only to
be (ab)used for self-enrichment
without regard for the welfare
of the still-underprivileged.
It should therefore be
welcome that in the absence of
self-restraint, those in public
office or service needs to be
subjected to audits.
Like everyone else, our leaders
have the liberty and right to
pursue their ambitions of
material satisfaction and
gratification within accepted
norms. Unlike everyone else,
however, they are in control of
public resources for which they
have to account.
Almost a
year to the date, at the
heralding of the economic
slowdown Minister Trevor Manuel
proclaimed: “We are in this
together”? Did he mean sharing
of hardship and misery only and
not in the fruits of the boom
while it shines?
The
continued accentuation of
inequality is obscene and must
be arrested as a matter of
priority and urgency. The spirit
of ‘tenderprenuers’ where
officials manipulate the system
in order to siphon resources
from government coffers for
personal gratification should be
stigmatised so that it is nipped
in the bud before it becomes the
norm.
The level of
accountability of those serving
in public office should be
impeccable.
When
Minister Pravin Gordhan took to
the podium last week for his
budget speech, among other
things he said: “We have
achieved a remarkable goal in
completing the 2010 stadiums in
good time. And as we rightly
enjoy and take pride in this
achievement, we know that we
must extend the same
extraordinary efforts to
addressing our critical social
and economic challenges….”
Apart from this ‘feel-good’
project of hosting the 2010 FIFA
World Cup, have we identified
another ‘national project’ that
will be a rallying point of the
months and years beyond the
tournament?
In the
addressing of ‘critical social
and economic challenges’
mentioned by Mr Gordhan,
resources will remain hard to
come by. Our leadership will
have to cut coat according to
cloth and “they will have to be
with everyone else, together…”
|
|
|
C O N T E N T
S |
|
Summarised
Jumuah Bayaan |
|
Question and
Answer |
|
Update |
|
Message from the Ameer |
|
I N F O R M A
T I O N |
|
Min. Mahr |
R147.34 |
|
Mahr Faatimi |
R 7,366.86 |
|
Zakaat Nisaab |
R 2,946.75 |
|
Words of Wisdom |
|
Hadith of the Week |
|
Religion is Easy |
Abu Hurairah
Radhi-Allahu anhu reported:
The Prophet Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam said, "The
religion (of Islam) is easy,
and whoever makes the
religion a rigour, it will
overpower him. So, follow a
middle course (in worship);
if you can't do this, do
something near to it and
give glad tidings and seek
help (of Allah) at morn and
at dusk and some part of
night".
(Al-Bukhari)
|
|
|
Quotation
of
the Week |
|
Rich with Allah |
“Be rich with Allah,
independent of the world of
the kings as the kings are
free of the Deen with their
worldly things.”
(Ibn Mubarak)
|
|
|
Point of Reflection |
|
Play your Part |
If you are a peg, endure
the knocking; if you are a
mallet, strike.
(Morocco)
|
|
|
|
Q and A |
Question:
I've
completed my last will and
testament that was prepared
by the Jamiatul Ulama. Do I
need to have the will
registered somewhere or do I
need a religious body to
review and approve it? Does
it need to be lodged with
any specific organisation?
Your assistance in this
regard will be much
appreciated.
|
Answer:
The completed
Will does not normally have
to be lodged with any
organisation. It would stay
with all your other
important documents. It is
important, however, for it
to be reviewed. You can
telephone 011 373 8000 to
make an appointment to have
it reviewed by the Jamiatul
Ulama.
<Go to
Top> |
|
U P D A T E |
The Jamiatul Ulama
Reaches out to Migrant Muslim
Communities
On Tuesday, a Jamiatul Ulama
delegation met representatives
of the Arab community living in
South Africa. The Arab
Associations Union which has a
population of well over 75,000
draws membership from nationals
of the countries of the Arab
League living in South Africa.
The union is reorganising
itself to serve the needs of its
members. A representative of the
group, Sheikh Ahmed Habib Allah
mentioned one of the concerns of
the community as being
xenophobia. There have been
reports of abuse foreign
nationals even at the hands of
authorities recently.
In
Midrand, the Turkish community
in South Africa has undertaken a
massive project where a masjid
modelled on the Selimye Mosque
in the city of Edirne in Turkey
is taking shape. This is the
first truly Ottoman architecture
in South Africa which is part of
a complex to including a
boarding facility for school and
madrasah, a clinic, a hall,
conference facilities as well as
a Turkish bazaar.
All
migrant communities met so far
seek support from and look
forward to forging closer ties
with locally-based organisations
operating in the country.
‘Operation Respect
Humanity: Stop Human
Trafficking’
Moulana Obeidullah Bhoja
represented the Jamiatul Ulama
at the consultative forum
convened for faith communities
and civil society on Monday
February 22nd. The forum which
was held in Boksburg looked at a
baseline study commissioned by
Hope Africa on human trafficking
in Southern Africa.
Ways
of responding to the challenge
of human trafficking were
discussed ahead of the
forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 in South Africa.
Faith groups were asked to make
commitments in advocating a stop
to this modern day slavery.
Ulama Workshop on
Education
The
Ulama workshop on Education
facilitated by Brother Ismail
Variawa of the Jamiatul Ulama’s
Taalimi Board and Radio Islam
took place on Saturday, 20
February 2010 at Baitul Hamd, 32
Dolly Rathebe Avenue, Fordsburg.
It was attended by well over 60
participants.
The
workshop covered themes the
topics: “Current Learning
Trends, Themes and
Perspectives,” and “A Child’s
World: Infancy to Adolescence.”
|
|
Summarised Jumu’ah
Bayaan: |
|
Truthfulness |
“O who you believe! Fear
Allah and be with the
truthful.” (9:119)
“Being true to Allah
would be better for
them.” (47:21)
•
Ibn Mas’ud radhiyallahu
anhu reported that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
‘Truthfulness leads to
piety and piety leads to
Jannah. A man should be
truthful until he is
written down as truthful
in the sight of Allah.
Lying leads to deviance
and deviance leads to
the Fire of Hell. A
person lies to the point
that he is written down
as a liar in the sight
of Allah.’ (Bukhari and
Muslim)
• Hasan
ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
radhiyallahu anhu said,
‘I memorised from
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam:
‘Abandon anything that
gives you doubt for that
which gives you no
doubt. Truthfulness is
peace of mind and lying
is doubt.’ (Tirmidhi)
• Abu Sufyan
Sakhr ibn Harb
radhiyallahu anhu said
in a long hadith
concerning what happened
with Heraclius:
‘Heraclius said, ‘What
does he (Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam) order you to
do?’ I replied, ‘He
says, ‘Worship Allah
alone and do not
associate anything with
Him and abandon what our
ancestors said.’ He
commands us to pray, to
speak the truth, to be
chaste, and to maintain
ties of kinship.’
(Bukhari and Muslim)
• Abu Thabit (and it
is said Abu Sa’id and
Abul-Walid) Sahl ibn
Hunayf radhiyallahu
anhu, who was at Badr,
reported that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘If
someone asks Allah,
Almighty, for martyrdom
with true sincerity,
Allah will raise him to
the level of the
martyrs, even if he dies
in his bed.’ (Muslim)
• Abu Hurayrah
radhiyallahu anhu
reported that Rasulullah
sallallahu alayhi
wasallam said, ‘One of
the Prophets alayhimus
salaam went on an
expedition and said to
his people, ‘A man who
has contracted a
marriage with a woman
and wants to consummate
it but has not yet done
so should not go with
me, nor should anyone
who has built a house
and not yet raised its
roof, nor anyone who has
bought some sheep or
pregnant she-camels and
is waiting for them to
give birth.’ So he went
on the expedition and
approached the town at
the time of the ‘Asr
prayer, or about that
time. He said to the
sun, ‘You are under
command and I am under
command. O Allah, hold
it back for us!’ And it
was held back until
Allah gave him victory.
He gathered the booty
and it, i.e. the fire,
came to consume it, but
it did not consume it.
He said, ‘Some of you
have stolen from the
booty. A man from every
tribe should come and
give allegiance.’ One
man’s hand stuck to his
hand and he said, ‘The
theft is among you. Your
tribe should give me
allegiance.’ The hands
of two or three men
stuck to his hand, and
he said, ‘The theft is
among you.’ So they
brought a head made of
gold looking like the
head of a cow and put it
down and the fire came
and consumed it. Booty
was not lawful for
anyone before us. Then
Allah made booty lawful
for us (this Ummah).
Allah saw our weakness
and incapacity and so He
made it lawful for us.’
(Bukhari and Muslim)
• Abu Khalid Hakim
ibn Hizam radhiyallahu
anhu reported that
Rasulullah sallallahu
alayhi wasallam said,
‘The seller and the
buyer have the option to
withdraw as long as they
have not yet separated.
If they speak the truth
and make things clear,
they will be blessed in
their sale. If they
conceal things and lie,
the blessing of their
transaction will be
wiped out.’ (Bukhari and
Muslim)
<Go to Top> |
|
Message from the Ameer of
the Jamiatul Ulama |
|
Do you have an
Islamic Will? |
The laws of inheritance have
been referred to as “half of
Islamic knowledge” by
Rasulullah Sallallahu
‘alayhi wa Salaam. This may
be so because wealth has a
great share in a person's
life and consequently in his
ibadat as well.
Muslims, generally the world
over, have almost totally
neglected this important
obligation of Islam. Not
only the uninformed and
unwary Muslims but also good
practising Muslims generally
do not pay any attention to
this very important,
fundamental and decisive
aspect of Deen. Some are
surprised to even hear that
Islam has given directions
to this branch of human
life!
Wealth is a
great temptation and often
spurs people to violate the
laws of the Shariah in order
to obtain it. Lest anyone is
driven by the same
temptation when it comes to
inheritance, Allah Ta'ala
concludes the verses
pertaining to inheritance
with the following clear
warning:
“Those are
the boundaries of Allah ....
And he who disobeys Allah
and his Rasul and
transgresses His boundaries,
He (Allah) will enter him
into the fire, forever he
will dwell therein, and for
him is a disgraceful
punishment.” (4:13)
This also clears a
misconception many people
have that they have to
stipulate in their wills
what the different
heirs
should be given from their
estate. The proportionate
share of each heir has been
predetermined by the
Shariah, and no person has
the right to change that.
When it comes to winding
up the estate and
distributing the
inheritance, unfortunately a
great number of cases
(perhaps the majority) are
marred by disputes and
conflicts sometimes of a
very serious nature.
Families have been split,
brothers and sisters have
become estranged and much
bitterness and misery is
caused to one and all.
Many of these problems
are of our own making. If
matters are sorted out in
advance, the chances of any
conflict occurring will be
tremendously reduced.
In South Africa, due to
the legal system, it is
imperative for every Muslim
to be conversant with these
laws, and important to have
a Will in place. Negligence
in this regard has lead to
endless misery for family
members that continue for
generations. Islam has
advocated that a person
should keep his financial
records clear and up to
date. In this way, confusion
and in- fighting is averted
upon demise.
<Go to Top> |
|
|
|